Redi-strap

ABSTRACT

A device for the retention and release of heavy, bulky or irregularly shaped items to a surface that includes a rotatable winged flanged plate with strap admitting slots through which a strap and coupling means are passed, and a surface affixing means providing for the releasable retention of large or irregularly shaped items against a wall or other surface.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to those surface mounted devicesproviding a means to releaseably secure items against a surface.

A common problem faced when attempting to store bulky or heavy itemsagainst a vertical surface such as a wall by leaning is the tendency ofthese items to fall forward and away from the wall if not leant at asufficient angle. Inevitably, this means that valuable floor space iswasted trying to get the item to “stay” against the wall. Most peopledon't have unlimited floor space to accommodate such waste. A typicalexample is the case of a ladder or bicycle leant against a garage wall.One solution has been to hang the item from a peg or hook mounted on thewall. However some of these items can be too bulky or heavy for manypeople to lift; this is especially the case with elderly or infirmpersons.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,163 to Foote, describes a base plate and tether forthe securing of firearms, but the base plate has no swivelingcapability.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,193 to Davis, describes a base plate, bracket andstraps as a wheelchair restraint, but the straps have no swivelingcapability.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,543 to Corson et al. describes a tip-over protectionapparatus with wall mounted bracket and cord, but has no swivelingcapability.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,562 to Konkle, describes a furniture tippingrestraint with wall mounted bracket and cord, but has no swivelingcapability.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,941 to Guenther, describes a fastening anchorassembly for fastening an object to a hollow wall, but provides a clampas the object fastening means which limits the size and shapes of theobjects to be retained.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a surface mountable retention system toreleasably secure large, irregularly shaped or bulky items against amultiple surface types; for example drywall, masonry or wood as well asothers. It enables a person to secure items tightly against a surfacesuch as a wall or crate without having to lean the item, thus savingfloor space and creating a safer environment.

In one embodiment, the device consists of a single rotatable flangedface plate with a centered aperture through which a fastener such as awood screw or hollow wall anchor is placed to affix the plate to asurface such as a wall or crate.

The preferred as well as alternate embodiments share the common elementof a rotatable flanged plate having at least two winged flanges opposingeach other, each flange punctuated by a slit aperture. Once installed, aflexible strap of shear resistant material with a fastening means at itsterminal ends such as male and female buckles, is threaded through theslit aperture such that the terminal ends may encircle an item andfasten together thus securing the item to the surface.

In the preferred embodiment, the invention is an assembly of twoprincipal plates, one having winged flanges, and another that isprimarily flat having a centered aperture and a formed sleeve encirclingthe centered aperture. The two plates are held in place by a hub whichis a flanged T-shaped bushing whereby both plates are independentlyrotatable about the axis provided by the bushing prior to beinginstalled on a surface.

In another embodiment, the second plate is generally planar having noraised sleeve, and the hub is a common cylindrical bushing press fitinto place forming a lip at each end of the bushing sufficient to holdthe two plates together yet allowing the plates to rotate independentlyaround a common axis provided by the bushing.

In yet another embodiment, the base plate has a resilient fastenerformed into the body in place of the bushing and formed sleeve of thepreferred embodiment so that the two plates may be pressed together andreleasably reatained in position by the resilient fastener which allowsthe plates to rotate independently of each other. It is envisioned thatthe base plate of this embodiment will be secured to a surface by anadhesive such as 3M™ Foam Tapes. Thus the means to affix this embodimentdiffers from the other embodiments because no screw or drywall fasteneris required.

With the exception of the embodiment of the previous paragraph, thesteps to install the surface mountable retention system are as follows:

If affixing to a stud, or a wood surface, the assembled presentinvention is placed against the surface and a wood screw of sufficientlength is placed through the centered aperture and screwed into thewooden surface thus holding the retention system in place. The plateassembly should fit snug against the wall while allowing the top plateto rotate 360 degrees. One unbuckled end of the flexible strap is thenthreaded through the slit apertures of the top plate, and an either amale or female buckle is cinched to the strap which is then joined toits mating portion being snapped around the item to be secured.

If affixing to drywall with a typical hollow wall anchor, the expandablesleeve element of a hollow wall anchor is fitted first into the wall,followed by the plate assembly and then a threaded bolt element ispassed through the centered aperture of the plate assembly and into theexpandable sleeve element of the wall anchor. The plate assembly shouldfit snuggly against the wall while allowing the top plate to rotate 360degrees. One unbuckled end of the flexible strap is then threadedthrough the slit apertures of the top plate, and an either a male orfemale buckle is cinched to the strap which is then joined to its matingportion being snapped around the item to be secured.

If affixing to drywall with a toggle bolt, the bolt element of thetoggle bolt is first passed through the centered aperture of the plateassembly and the toggle element affixed to its terminal end. The toggleelement is them placed through a pre-drilled hole in the drywall and thebolt is tightened in the customary way. The plate assembly should fitsnuggly against the wall while allowing the top plate to rotate 360degrees. One unbuckled end of the flexible strap is then threadedthrough the slit apertures of the top plate, and an either a male orfemale buckle is cinched to the strap which is then joined to its matingportion being snapped around the item to be secured.

One object of the present invention is to provide an easy means for thereleasable retention of heavy or bulky items against a surface withoutthe need to lift or hoist the item.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an easy means forthe releasable retention of irregularly shaped items by providing 360degrees of attachment.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a means toreleaseably retain large items securely against a vertical surface suchas a wall minimizing the required floor space.

The applicant is not aware of any previously described art having thefeatures and advantages of the present invention.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein by way of illustration and example, apreferred embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is perspective view of one embodiment of the present inventionwith rotatable flanged face plate;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment showing T-shapedbushing and base plate element;

FIG. 3 is a partial cut-away view of the stacked plate assembly of onealternate embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is perspective view of the non-flanged bushing;

FIG. 5 is perspective view of a non-flanged base plate;

FIG. 6 is an edge view of the alternate embodiment of FIG. 3 fastened toa hollow wall by a toggle bolt and the flexible belt and buckleelements;

FIG. 7 is an edge view of the assembled preferred embodiment of FIG. 2fastened to a stud by a wood screw and the flexible belt and buckleelements;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of an alternate embodiment of presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is an edge view of the assembled alternate embodiment of FIG. 8and fastened to a surface by way of an adhesive strip;

FIG. 10 plan view of the base plate of FIG. 8 with molded resilientbullet fastener

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of one embodiment of the present inventionwith a flanged face plate 10 having two winged flanges, each having arectangular slit 20, and a centered aperture 17, and typical fasteningmeans; in this case, a hollow wall anchor with a sleeve element 9 andscrew 8. In this embodiment, the flanged face plate 10 rotates 360degrees once the entire assembly is affixed to a surface. Fasteningstraps with buckling means as shown in (FIG. 6) are passed through therectangular slits 20, to encircle the object to be retained.

FIG. 2 Shows an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention that uses a T-shaped bushing having an aperture 17 a therethrough, a capped flange 15, a beveled countersunk recess 19 to acceptthe beveled head of a typical wood screw 8. Assembly requires the area14 below the capped flange 15 is seated into the aperture 17 b, and theintegrally formed sleeve 17 c of base plate 12 is interiorly seatedwithin the body of the T-shaped bushing. Once assembled, the T-shapedbushing acts as a hub around which the flanged face plate 10 and baseplate 12 are seated and whereby the two plates may rotate 360 degreesrelative to each other prior to the affixing of the present invention toa surface, after which, the flanged face plate 10 is rotatable and thebase plate 12 is fixed against a surface and immobilized.

FIG. 3 shows a partial cut away view of an alternate embodiment of thepresent invention where a planar base plate 12 a and flanged face plate10 are held together by a non-flanged bushing that is situated withinapertures of equal diameter 17 e, 17 d of the flanged face plate and theplanar base respectively, which is press fitted during assembly so thata lip is formed at either end of the bushing to retain both platestogether about a common axis. The flanged face plate rotates 360 degreesonce the entire assembly is affixed to a surface. Fastening straps withbuckling means as shown in (FIG. 6) are passed through the rectangularslits 20, and encircle an object to be retained.

FIG. 4 shows the non-flanged bushing 21 of the embodiment of (FIG. 3).

FIG. 5 shows the planar base plate 12 a of the embodiment of (FIG. 3).

FIG. 6 is an edge view illustrating the alternate embodiment of (FIG. 3)in typical use being affixed to a hollow wall surface. Visible is thestrap 23 having at the respective ends a male and female buckle portion24, where the strap is meant to encircle a retained article. Althoughthe edge view shows the flanged wings of the face plate 10, it should beunderstood that flanged face plate 10 is fully rotatable about the axisprovided by the press fit bushing 21.

FIG. 7 is an edge view illustrating the preferred embodiment of (FIG. 2)in typical use being affixed to a hollow wall surface. Shown is strap 23having at each terminal end a male or female buckle portion, where thestrap is meant to encircle a retained article. Although the edge viewshows the flanged wings of the face plate 10, it should be understoodthat face plate 10 is rotatable about the axis provided by the T-shapedbushing 15. It should also be understood that while the male and femalebuckle pairs are are illustrated here, other types of fasteners such asVelcro™, or buckle and cinch loops, are suitable.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view illustrating an alternate embodiment of thepresent invention that substitutes a resilient fastener 26 formed intobase plate 12 b as a substitute for the bushing elements of the otherembodiments. The base plate with resilient fastener are of athermoplastic material such as polystyrene or fiber reinforcedthermoplastic. Assembly requires that the flanged face plate 10 b bepressed against the base plate 12 b aligning the aperture 17 with thehead of the resilient fastener having a generally bullet shaped profileand which is partially divided into four sections so that the head ofthe fastener may contract to allow force fitting through an apertureupon which the sections resume their position, thus releasably securingthe two plates together. The completed assembly is attached to a surfaceby means of double sided adhesive such as 3M™ Foam Tapes. Alternately,it is possible to separate the two plates and simply use the device inthe manner described in (FIG. 1) thus omitting the base plate.

FIG. 9 is an edge view illustrating the alternate embodiment of (FIG. 8)in typical use being affixed to a hollow wall surface. Shown is a layerof foam tape 27 of the same circumference as base plate 12 b. Visible isthe strap 23 b having at each terminal end a hook or loop fastenerportion so that the straps may be fastened together, so the strap canencircle a retained article. Although the edge view shows the flangedwings of the face plate 10, it should be understood that face plate 10is rotatable about the axis provided by the resilient fastener 26.

FIG. 10 is an plan view illustrating the base plate of (FIGS. 8, 9) withthe sections partially bisection the bullet shaped head of the resilientfastener 26.

While the invention has been described in connection with only twoprincipal embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of theinvention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it isintended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents asmay be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as definedby the appended claims.

1) A surface mountable retention system for bulky items comprising: anaffixing surface; and, a rotatable face plate having a centered aperturethere through and a plurality of flanges formed in opposition to oneanother, each of said flanges having a strap admitting slot; and, atleast one strap having two ends, each of said ends terminated by acoupling means by which each of said ends may be releasably coupled toeach other; and, a surface affixing means comprising: wood screws,hollow wall anchors, drywall inserts, toggle bolts, expansion . . .bolts, masonry screws, glue, and tape. 2) The surface mountableretention system of claim 1; wherein said face plate has 360 degrees ofrotation about said surface after being fastened. 3) A surface mountableretention system for bulky items comprising: an affixing surface; and, atop plate having a centered aperture therethrough, and a plurality offlanges formed in opposition to each other, each of said flanges having,a strap admitting slot; and, a bottom plate, said bottom plate having acentered aperture therethrough; and, at least one strap, said straphaving two ends, each of said ends terminated by a coupling means bywhich each of said ends may be releasably coupled to each other; and, ajoining member comprising: a bushing flared at its terminal ends aboutwhich said top and bottom plates are freely rotatable; and, an affixingmeans comprising: wood screws, hollow wall anchors, drywall inserts,toggle bolts, expansion bolts, and masonry screws. 4) The surfacemountable retention system of claim 3, wherein said top and bottomplates are sandwiched together, said joining member being a bushingpress fitted into place and lipped at its terminal ends such that saidtop and bottom plates are rotatable about its axis. 5) The surfacemountable retention system of claim 3, wherein said top and bottomplates are sandwiched together, said joining member being a generallyT-shaped flanged hub bushing having a centered aperture there throughand a head part and a body part, said head part having a centeredcounter bored beveled recess of greater diameter than said centeredaperture. 6) The surface mountable retention system of claim 3; whereinsaid bottom plate is fastened to said surface and is immobilized. 7) Thesurface mountable retention system of claim 3; wherein said top platehas 360 degrees of rotation about the common axis of said bottom plateafter said bottom plate has been fastened to said surface andimmobilized. 8) The surface mountable retention system of claim 3; saidcoupling means comprising: male and female buckle clips pairs, cinchloops, hook and loop fasteners, hook and eye fasteners. 8) A surfacemountable retention system for bulky items comprising: an affixingsurface; and, a rotatable face plate having a centered aperture therethrough and a plurality of flanges formed in opposition to one another,each of said flanges having a strap admitting slot; and, a bottom platehaving a substantially knob-shaped integral resilient fastener whereinsaid knob-shaped integral resilient fastener is sectioned to allow thereleasable coupling of said bottom plate and said top plate by passingsaid knob-shaped integral resilient fastener through said centeredaperture; and, at least one strap having two ends, each of said endsterminated by a fastening means by which each of said ends may bereleasably coupled to each other; and, a surface affixing meanscomprising: wood screws, hollow wall anchors, drywall inserts, togglebolts, expansion bolts, masonry screws, glue, and tape.